


Alive

by faerialchemist



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Angst With A Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Grover (Percy Jackson) is a Good Friend, Hurt/Comfort, also grover and thalia were good friends and don't y'all forget it, annabeth is only there for a second but she's still the best, grover needs a hug, i needed to get this out of my system, let grover process his guilt over thalia's death 2k20 pls, thalia needs a hug, tree on the hill gave me FEELS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25025698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faerialchemist/pseuds/faerialchemist
Summary: Grover reached up, placing one of his hands on top of hers, though he didn’t dare meet her eyes. Finally, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”Thalia frowned. “What?”Grover’s grip on her hand tightened, and he blinked back tears. “I’m sorry. For” - his voice cracked, and he flinched - “for failing to protect you.”(Thalia is back. Grover struggles with the guilt of feeling responsible for her death.)
Relationships: Thalia Grace & Grover Underwood
Comments: 13
Kudos: 30





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> i was listening to tree on the hill from the pjo musical, and it made me have feelings™ about grover’s guilt from thalia’s death, so i wanted to write about their reunion when she comes back to life. i know grover was technically there at the end of the sea of monsters, but if he hadn’t been, this is what i imagine would have happened

_Alive. Alive. Thalia was alive._

Grover raced to the Big House as fast as his hooves could carry him, crashing into a camper or two on the way there but unable to bring himself to stop and see if they were okay.

_Alive. She was alive._

He pushed past the crowd to get inside the building, ignoring both Chiron’s and Mr. D’s orders to slow down and to stop because consequences be damned he needed to see her, he needed to know if it was true.

_Alive._

Grover burst into the main room of the Big House, where Annabeth was kneeling next to a couch on which a dark-haired girl with piercing blue eyes lay, propped up into a semi-sitting position with the help of two pillows.

_Thalia._

He blinked, and for a moment he was back on the hill, where that same girl had lain bleeding out on the ground, blue eyes glazed over, her head lolled to the side as she stared aimlessly at everything while seeing nothing.

Grover wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, surprised - or maybe not - to find hot tears welling up. When he lowered his arm, he was back in the Big House, and Thalia was sitting up on the couch in front of him. Alive.

“Hi,” he croaked, wincing at how weak his voice sounded.

Annabeth stood, brushing off the front of her shorts. “I’ll give you two a minute.” She gave Grover a comforting smile as she left.

Grover slowly moved towards Thalia, who seemed almost amused by his hesitance.

“I don’t bite, you know. Never did.”

Grover stiffened, remembering the bite mark that had once decorated her throat like a terrible, bloodied necklace as she - as she’d died in front of him. But he continued walking forwards, kneeling down in the same spot Annabeth had occupied seconds earlier. He reached up, placing one of his hands on top of hers, though he didn’t dare meet her eyes. Finally, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Thalia frowned. “What?”

Grover’s grip on her hand tightened, and he blinked back tears. “I’m sorry. For” - his voice cracked, and he flinched - “for failing to protect you.”

Thalia’s gaze softened. “Grover -”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, fighting down the lump rising in his throat, “that I couldn’t - that I couldn’t save you. That you - That you died. Because of  _me_ .”

And then the dam broke, sobs escaping his lips and tears streaming down his face, a potent combination of guilt and relief pouring out of him that he couldn’t and maybe didn’t want to control because Thalia was  _here_ and she was  _alive_ _._ He didn’t care if she never forgave him. He didn’t care if she never spoke to him again. He didn’t care if she never gave him a second chance because at least now she had  _hers._

“You silly old goat.” Thalia’s voice was affectionate, though it sounded like she may have been fighting back tears of her own.

He didn’t - couldn’t - look to see.

She carefully climbed off of the couch, kneeling down next to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull him into a tight hug. “I know who found the Golden Fleece. I know who kept Polyphemus distracted for  _weeks_ to make sure the Fleece could be retrieved. I know who the bravest satyr in the entire damn world is.” She tightened the hug, if such was even possible. “It’s you, Grover. You saved me.”

Her words only made Grover sob harder, and he moved his arms up around her back to return her hug as tightly as he could in response.

They stayed that way for a while, Grover crying into her shoulder and Thalia letting him without complaint. Two kids, clutching at each other as if the present, the moment, the now was the only time they’d ever have.

_Alive._


End file.
